The present invention relates to a method of converting a vehicle into a utility structure and especially to a process which replaces the wheels of the vehicle with support stands and removes the vehicle seats to form a utility structure.
In the past, it has been common to junk used vehicles, such as automobiles, vans and the like, which have run their useful life. Typically, a vehicle is cannibalized of parts for use in the repair of other vehicles and the vehicle body crushed for recycling the metal. Tires, however, are removed from the vehicles for disposal, such as in a recycling program. Most vehicles have useful components, such as the engine, fuel tank, radiator, and operative components which are removed from the vehicle body leaving a body which is water and weathertight and having doors with door seals for sealing the interior of the vehicle body against the weather. The door and trunk lid of the vehicle body also includes locks for locking the body and can be modified for providing power to the interior lights and for other components of the vehicle as desired. The present invention is directed towards a process for converting used vehicles which have spent most of their useful life and cannibalize those components, such as the engines and other operative components, but not thereafter crushing the vehicle, as is the current practice but rather converting the vehicle to a useful weathertight structure complete with locking doors. The operative components, including the fuel tank, engine, transmission, and interior seats as well as air conditioning components, alternator, radiator, and the like can then be recycled as used automotive parts and the vehicle then made into a utility structure.
In the past, it has also been suggested to convert various types of vehicles into expanded camping structures, such as may be seen in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,549 to Granger which removes the trunk of an automobile for mounting the camper body into the trunk and over the roof of a sedan automobile. In the Beggs U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,939 an attachment for converting a vehicle, such as a compact vehicle, into an expandable vehicle having an enlarged expandable usable volume. In the Alford U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,613 a van having a forward cab section and a rear passenger cargo section is convertible to a tall wall pickup or camper shell configuration by an overhead door or roof panel which is removable from a position overlying and covering an overhead roof opening to an upstanding vertical position. In the U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,225 to Wolf a convertible seat bed and storage unit has a pair of frame elements which support a plurality of panels in a seat configuration and which convert to support the same panels in a bed configuration and is suited for mounting in the cargo space of a van-type vehicle.
The present invention is for a process for converting a used vehicle which might otherwise be ready for a junk yard and which allows for the removal and use of the main operative components for recycling while converting the body portion into a utility structure.
A method of converting a vehicle into a utility structure includes the steps of selecting a used vehicle having a vehicle body having seats therein and at least one door and a plurality of wheels. In one variation of the invention, a support stand is selected for attachment to at least one of the wheel studs of the vehicle for supporting the vehicle on a surface and replacing each of the plurality of wheels with a support stand. The process includes attaching the support stands to the vehicle wheel studs and removing one or more seats from the vehicle. The process may also include the steps of removing the engine and fuel tank from the vehicle and placing the vehicle wheels in storage in the vehicle body for later use in moving the utility structure by replacing the support stands with the wheels. The support stand has an elongated post having openings therein for fitting over the axle hub and onto the wheel studs and a flat base for supporting the post on a surface.